The Art of IT Management: Practical tools, techniques and people skills

PREFACE

This book has been written primarily for IT managers just stepping into their first managerial position; however, many more seasoned IT managers and leaders will also benefit from this text. For some it may prove a useful refresher, for others it may fill a vital gap in their portfolio of knowledge or provide that ‘light bulb’ moment of revelation.

Most IT professionals who find themselves in a management position for the first time are ill prepared and hence may feel a little lost. Management is about people rather than process or procedure. You need the knowledge and know-how to show people the way, the vision to know where you are going, the passion to take people with you and the ability to empathise with individuals. Management is therefore an art rather than a science. There is no one particular right way; every situation you face as a manager will have an element of uniqueness. Your approach, therefore, has to be geared to the person concerned, the task in hand, their level of skill and maturity, their attitude and aptitude and so on.

This book will provide you with some theory and some tools and techniques, but, unlike many other books, its focus is on practical advice. You will find hints and tips, case studies, stories and examples from the world of IT. Many of the skills described in this book are generic management capabilities. What makes this book different and unique is that it has been written for the person with a scientific mind and a technical background; for someone who is undoubtedly highly intelligent with an enquiring mind, but may not be so capable in their dealings with people.

This book has been written from personal experience, I was a first time IT manager once. Although I studied mechanical engineering at University, I found I had a natural aptitude for building relationships with, and getting the best out of, people; hence I was rapidly promoted. By the age of 34 I held my first head of IT position, managing more than 70 people. Two years later I was the European CIO for a merchant bank. I have, therefore, ‘been there, done that and got the T-shirt’. For the past 19 years I have been engaged in the business of management development and executive coaching, primarily within the IT community. I have learned how people learn, what works and what doesn’t work. All the stories you will read in this book are true; all the advice has been personally tried and tested; all the tools and techniques have been road tested by other aspiring leaders who have gone before you with positive results.

If you are a new manager I would recommend that you read this book cover to cover. As you gain more experience you may want to dip and dive as you come across certain situations and face various challenges. If you are a more seasoned manager start with the contents page and read those chapters of particular relevance or interest to you. I would challenge any IT leader or manager, no matter how experienced, not to take something away from this book, in particular Part 5. So, grab a comfy chair, sit back, relax, read and enjoy!

Finally, I wish you all the best in your current role and all your roles to come.

PART 1

ESSENTIAL MANAGEMENT SKILLS

1 WHAT MAKES A GOOD MANAGER?

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

In the world of information technology (IT) many people get promoted to a managerial position because they are good at their job and that job is likely to be a technical one. However, being a manager is very different from being a ‘doer’. Often people are expected to rise to the challenge with little training, guidance or preparation and, just to make it even more difficult, they may also be expected to manage former ‘work mates’. No wonder the result is often described as ‘losing a good technician and gaining a poor manager’.

A manager’s role is to get the best out of their staff, as individual members and also as a collective team. There are many definitions of management/leadership; my favourite one is ‘Consistently achieving results beyond expectations by creating a climate in which others can shine’ (Fellows, 2012).

People work best when they feel good about themselves, have interesting work to do and when they are afforded a sense of job satisfaction and the opportunity for growth and/or advancement. Research by Cass Business School suggests that:

6% of people like to be told what to do;

4% of people prefer complete freedom;

90% of people respond best to freedom within guidelines.

As a manager your job is to provide the guidelines, but make sure there is freedom within. If you are too prescriptive your staff will lose any sense of job satisfaction, will become demotivated and will give you the bare minimum at best. You need to give enough, but not too much, guidance and support; this will differ with each member of your team. You must never do your staff’s job for them – you need to keep your eyes open, but your hands off – and you need to ask the right questions rather than providing the ‘right’ answers.

DELVING A LITTLE DEEPER INTO THE SUBJECT

When asked the question ‘what do you consider to be the main qualities of a leader?’ the most common answers are:

strong character;

charismatic;

possesses great personal drive;

intelligent;

decisive;

courageous;

ability to be ruthless when necessary;

confident.

However, when asked to think about one’s own boss(es) and what leadership qualities are appreciated most, the answers are very different:

sense of humour;

unpretentious;

knowledgeable;

empathetic and supportive;

good listener;

honest and trustworthy;

prepared to admit mistakes;

consistent.

The two lists above are quite different in nature – the first is all about self and the second more about your impact on others. This shows that management is all about your impact on others and about getting people to do what is asked of them, not because they are forced to, but because they want to.

As a manager there are five simple rules that will help you get the best out of your staff and establish your credibility as their leader:

Treat people well. Be fair, be considerate, be compassionate and be inspirational. Treat people as individuals; learn what each member of your team responds best to in terms of communication style, motivational techniques and feedback and reward mechanisms. You will find more on this in Chapters 3 and 8.

Get the instructions right. Make sure that you have communicated clearly and effectively; check for understanding. Ensure your people know exactly what is expected of them, by when and how their performance will be measured and judged. There should be a minimum standard that every member of your team will be required to meet. However, goals should be geared towards an individual; they should be achievable, but also stretch the person (see Chapter 2 for more on this subject).

Motivate and inspire your people. Make sure that whatever you have delegated is sufficiently stretching and challenging, but within a person’s capability. People should, on balance, find their work interesting. If this is not the case you need to find out why and be prepared to make some role adjustments. Look for opportunities to praise, encourage, reward and provide constructive feedback. Be approachable and make yourself available to offer guidance when required. Take a personal interest in your team members and make your people feel good about themselves. Maintain a sense of humour – especially when things go wrong. You will find more on this subject in Chapters 3 and 4.

Let them get on with it. Allow people the freedom to do things their way. Focus on outcomes rather than the means of achieving those outcomes. Never ever take a task back. Ask questions to stimulate thought processes. If appropriate provide data, but not answers, and if necessary open doors or remove obstacles (see Chapter 2 for more on this).

Demonstrate your value. Many IT professionals do not have much respect or regard for the managerial role. They do not see its purpose or function. Another factor to consider is that as you become more focused on management activities you also become more distant from your technical roots and may find yourself managing people who know more than you do about the technical aspects of their job. But you still need to earn their respect. You will find guidance and examples of how you may achieve this in the following section.

HINTS AND TIPS

You might not be able to compete with your team technically, but you can value their technical expertise and take an interest in what they are doing. Similarly, they need to value your managerial skills and the role you perform.

The following list outlines the things that you should be doing:

Have a plan – i.e. be clear in your own mind what you want, when you want it and in what form you want it – and ensure that you have communicated it well; ensure that all your actions are consistent with that plan.

Build effective relationships with your team:

Take an interest in them as people – I do not mean that you need to know what they did last Saturday evening, but you should know the names and rough ages of their children and you should know where they have just been on holiday and ask them how it was.

Take an interest in their work but do not do it for them.

Develop the ability to have conversations on a wide range of subjects.

Find common ground of mutual interest.

Ensure that your people have the tools, resources and necessary training to do the things you ask of them. Resolve external issues that may impede their performance – fight the battles for them. If, for example, a member of your team is struggling to get the cooperation they need from another department, go and see the manager from that department and clear the path for them. For more information on this, see Chapter 22 on organisational politics.

Delegate by talking about desired outcomes, rather than being prescriptive as to how those outcomes should be achieved. See Chapter 2 for more on delegation.

Look for opportunities to praise – be specific. ‘I really liked the way you handled that situation when …’, ‘I thought your conclusions were spot on in your analysis of …’ and so on. See Chapter 3 for more on giving feedback.

Ensure your team take the credit for your successes and open doors for them to demonstrate their capabilities in more senior circles. See Chapter 4 for more on developing your people.

Be open and honest and true to your values.

Ensure that you address their needs at all levels:

Physical needs – people do not work effectively if they are too hot or cold, uncomfortable or in poor lighting conditions.

Personal needs – you will need to make allowances for your people’s personal circumstances and commitments. If they are worried about being able to pick a child up on time or a sick relative left alone, their mind will not be focused on the job. This is always a fine balance: you need to be fair and reasonable from both the organisation’s and the individual’s perspective. You need to think how you would like to be dealt with if you were in their place. Mostly, good judgement comes with experience. If you have a mentor this may be a good time to seek their guidance.

Motivational needs – different things motivate different people. It could be the opportunity for promotion, public recognition, the opportunity to learn or a pat on the back. You need to find out what works for each member of your team. You will find more on this subject in Chapter 3.

Development needs – to keep people interested they need variety and to be stretched. Think how you could enhance their role; what other aspects of your role could you delegate? What training would they benefit from and where would coaching be more appropriate? Again, you will find more on this subject in Chapter 3.

Aspirational needs – few people want to perform the same role for the rest of their working lives. Find out what each individual member of your team would like to be doing in one year and five years. What could you do to help them on their journey? See Chapter 4 for more on developing your people.

Let there be laughter in the office – people are more productive when they are happy and having a little fun.

Never forget that you are the boss and that you do have the right to tell one of your team to do something or not. Sometimes you will have to get tough just like a parent has to with a naughty child – respect runs both ways. See Chapter 25 for more on conflict resolution.

Be fair and equitable while also treating people as individuals.

Demonstrate your value through action by doing things for your people that they could never hope to achieve themselves. Such supportive actions will also help you to build mutual trust. The following mini case illustrates this point nicely.

George is a middle manager working in the IT department of a retail bank. The IT department underwent a major reorganisation and in his new role, George inherited a team of 17 very intelligent and highly skilled ‘super techies’. These people were exceedingly independent and had the reputation of being ‘unmanageable’. They viewed their own management as a hindrance rather than a help.

George was well aware that he needed to make an immediate impact and create a positive impression in the eyes of his new team. He also needed to demonstrate the value of his managerial position. His predecessor had had a tough time, being ignored, side-lined and sniped at, and although his predecessor was not a bad guy, he had never established his worth in the eyes of his team.

Within a few weeks, George had them ‘eating out of his hand’, talking to him, asking for his help on various political issues, involving him and doing anything he asked of them. How did he achieve this?

As everyone knows, reorganisations generally involve a physical component, i.e. where people sit. There was one particularly sought-after area within the large and essentially open-plan office; it was a south-facing window location that was somewhat ‘off the beaten track’. Everyone wanted to sit there and, predictably, the most competitive of George’s colleagues acquired this space for his team. At their level of management, George’s entire peer group had their own offices dotted around the big open-plan area and although responsibilities were changing, status was not; therefore, none of them was required or expected to move office. George played on his competitive colleague’s weakness – his ego – and offered to swap his own larger office for his colleague’s smaller one in exchange for the best physical location for his team. George instantly won his team’s respect and admiration. He never told them how he had achieved this feat, but merely quipped that it was ‘for him to know and them to wonder’. It was at this point that they started to understand what the role of a manager was all about and how George could be of use to them.

The following list outlines the things that you should not be doing:

Do not be tempted to do any member of your team’s job for them even if you could do it quicker and better yourself. Never ever take a job back and do not micro-manage. On the opposite side of the equation, neither should you abdicate responsibility – you must monitor progress and maintain an interest in their work. You will find more on this subject in Chapter 2.

Do not be too prescriptive of how they should achieve a certain task. Leave room for creativity and give people the opportunity to do it their own way.

Do not look for opportunities to criticise.

Do not blame your team when things go wrong; you can delegate authority, but you cannot delegate accountability.

Do not shut them out, or overtly take the credit for their successes.

Never ever say one thing, but then do another – make sure your words and deeds are congruent.

Never lie to your team – it will destroy all trust. If you cannot tell them something because you have been bound by secrecy, then tell them you cannot tell them. Do not deny something is happening when it is – remember the rumour mill is a very powerful and surprisingly accurate source of information.

Do not try to be one of the ‘lads’ or ‘lasses’, but neither should you be aloof and distant. See Chapter 17 for more on moving from team mate to team leader.

Do not expect your staff to read your mind. Communicate clearly and check for understanding to ensure the message has been received as you intended.

Do not ever play one team member off against another.

Never be critical or give negative feedback to a member of your team in the presence of another person. You can tackle them in private, but always support them in public.

As time progresses you will move further away from your technical roots, it therefore becomes even more important for you to demonstrate your leadership capability and what a manager contributes to the team that the team members cannot.

REFERENCE

Fellows, D. (2012) Leadership and management. In: Charity Technology Conference. London, November 2012. London: Cass Business School, Centre for Charity Effectiveness. Session 7.

2 HOW TO DELEGATE EFFECTIVELY

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?

Delegation is about giving up part of your job with three prime objectives:

growing your subordinates;

creating space in your own diary so that your boss can delegate part of their job to you;

allowing yourself time to develop into your new role and, as time progresses, develop that role.

As a manager your organisational value lies not in what you can do, but rather what you can enable others to do; this is rooted in your ability to delegate.

In all my 33 years of experience working within IT functions and consulting to them, I find that the vast majority of junior to middle managers have far too much to do; they feel stressed that they cannot keep up with all the demands on their time and seldom leave the office at the appointed hour. In contrast, in many cases, their staff have too little planned work to do and hence plenty of time to indulge in perfectionism, experimentation, creating new features and other ‘off-piste’ activities. When delegation does take place, IT managers often strike the wrong balance between task and people focus; between freedom and control.

All managers have a duty to develop their people so that they can achieve their full potential and, in so doing, contribute to the broader business success. This element of the manager’s role is